Hand tool for clean cutting of fit-up wallpapers, fitted carpets and the like

ABSTRACT

A wallpaper trimming guide is in the form of a shield having two flat flanges joined to define a corner for guiding a trimming knife or the like. The free edge of one of the flanges has a further flange aT a right angle and provided with a hand-grip slot adjacent a similar slot in the one flange to define a secure hand grip.

United States Patent UNITED STATES PATENTS ll/l9l7 Ketola 30/286Andersson Jan. 28, 1975 [54] HAND TOOL FOR CLEAN CUTTING OF l.45l.4444/1923 lufitor;1 30/289 PERS, FITTED CARPETS 2,383,368 8/1945 21 ug an30/289 ZS T ZiE EE 2,414,408 l/l947 Guluzin 30/289 3349486 I()/l967Vnighl l 30/294 [76] Inventor: Einar Albin Valdemar Andersmn, 3.509.6335/l97() Fcrnundes .0 30/289 $233 5 39 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS851088 l0/l960 Great Britain 0. 30/289 [22] Filed: Oct. 16, 1973 21 APP]406 97 Primary Examiner-Donald G. Kelly Assistant ExaminerJ. T. Zatarga[30] F A r r P t D t Attorney, Agent, or FirmJ0hn J. Dennemeyer orelgnpp lca Ion r|or| y a a Oct. 17, Sweden 2 521 US. Cl. 30/289, 30/294 AWallpaper trimming guide is in the form of a Shield [51] 1326b 29/02having two flat flanges joined to define a corner for 581 Field ofSearch 30/286, 289, 294 guiding a trimming knife or the like The freeedge Of QEPUiLiflEE? 95229 929! .tleass 2 i -192m [56] References Citedand provided with a hand-grip slot adjacent a similar slot in the oneflange t0 define a secure hand grip.

1 Claim, 2 Drawing Figures HAND TOOL FOR CLEAN CUTTING OF FIT-UPWALLPAPERS, FITTED CARPETS AND THE LIKE The present invention relates toa hand tool for clean cutting of fit-up wallpapers, fitted carpets andthe like.

By fitting up lengths of wallpaper on walls it is current to let thelength hang down a bit over the floor ledge to enable fit of the same tothe upper edge of the floor ledge. This is accomplished by cutting thelength with a razor blade, a knife or a special cutting tool with asharp blade which is held downwards during the cutting process.Consequently it often happens that one cuts down in the floor ledge orin electric wires, which in many houses are mounted on the upper edge ofthe floor ledge. Additionally, it is difficult to out without support,which often has the consequence that the edge becomes ragged andsometimes also fringy.

The present invention aims to eliminate these disadvantages and relatesto a hand tool which protects the floor ledge or the floor during thecutting process and furthermore enables a smooth cutting. The hand toolaccording to the present invention is generally characterized by acontinuous and angularly bent shield with two flat and thin-walled sidesof which one side is placed along that edge or that corner along whichthe wallpaper or carpet is to be cut, while the other side is placedunder the wallpaper or carpet so that the shield forms a support for acutting blade and its corner or one side forms a guide during thecutting process.

The invention will now be described with reference to the drawing inwhich FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a fit-up and uncutlength of wallpaper with the hand tool placed in a functional position,and

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the length after the cuttingprocess and with the hand tool in the same position.

According to the invention the hand tool consists of a shield 1,preferably of uncoloured plastic material to which wallpaper paste andthe like is not likely to adhere. The screen 1 is angularly bent andforms two thinwalled sides 2 and 3 at right angle to each other. Theshield is also so shaped that the sides 2, 3 merge in a relatively sharpcorner 4. The shield l is additionally designed with some greater lengththan the width of a length of wallpaper 5 which is fit-up on a wall 6with wallpaper paste or the like.

In order to get a firm grip during the cutting process, the shield l isprovided with a handle. The handle consists of a flange 7, which extendsfrom one side 2 of the shield 1 and is parallel with the other side 3.The flange 7 is provided with a recess 8 in which a hand can be put.Moreover, the side 2 is also provided with a recess 9 of about the samedimension and this recess is placed just opposite the recess 8 of theflange 7 whereby the user obtains a grip of the flange 7 and the side 2.

For a clean cut of the wallpaper 5, the shield l is placed with the side2 directly against the upper edge of a floor ledge 10 or eventually onelectric wires 11 mounted on the upper edge of the same. The shield l isadditionally placed with the side 3 against the wall 6 and under thewallpaper 5, whose end then will lie on the shield 1 (FIG. 1). Afterplacing the shield l. the length is preferably pressed in to the corner4, so that it is lying close to the sides 2 and 3.

The shield 1 provides guidance and forms a level support for all kindsof cutting tools (not shown), e.g., razor blades, knifes and especiallydesigned tools, so that the length 5 can be cut at the exact right placeand provided with a smooth edge. A very simple and safe way to cut thelength 5 is obtained if the blade is pressed into the corner 4, sincethe corner 4 itself is a satisfactory guide. A length 5, cut accordingto this method, is shown in FIG. 2. However, if one intends to cut off asmaller edge of the length 5, the blade is placed against that part ofthe length which lies on the side 2, while the hand, a finger or a partof the cutting tool is placed against the side 3 (and that part of thelength which is placed against that side) during the cutting process,which means that the side 3 is used as guiding-side for obtainment of anedge, exactly parallel with but spaced from the corner 4. Additionallyit is possible to provide a graduation (not shown) on the tool or theshield 1, to indicate where the length shall be cut.

The shield 1 according to the description is only described for sidecutting of lengths of wallpaper for their adjustment to a floor ledge,but it can also be used for adjustment of lengths to a floor or a roof,and thereto useful for side cutting of fitted carpets.

The hand tool according to the description is especially useful inprofessional hanging, but since the tool has a very simple structurewhich exclude incorrect handling, it can be used also bynon-professionals.

The invention is not limited to the described embodiement, but can bevaried within the scope of the appended claims. Thus, the shield side 2can be provided with an especially smooth surface layer or an agent canbe brought on the same, so that the cut-off wallpaper strip is easy toremove from the tool.

What we claim is:

l. A device for use in trimming a surface covering sheet material, saiddevice having right angularly related flat walls meeting at a corner,one of said walls being adapted to be placed under an edge of said sheetmaterial with the other wall projecting outwardly from said surface withsaid corner serving as a guide for a cutting tool, said other wallhaving a laterally extending flange at its free edge and said flange andsaid other wall each having a slot therethrough with said slots arrangedto receive the fingers of a users hand and serve as a handle forgripping and manipulating said device.

1. A device for use in trimming a surface covering sheet material, saiddevice having right angularly related flat walls meeting at a corner,one of said walls being adapted to be placed under an edge of said sheetmaterial with the other wall projecting outwardly from said surface withsaid corner serving as a guide for a cutting tool, said other wallhaving a laterally extending flange at its free edge and said flange andsaid other wall each having a slot therethrough with said slots arrangedto receive the fingers of a user''s hand and serve as a handle forgripping and manipulating said device.